to keep the free-flowing attacking football of Dulwich at bay. Each time Dulwich scored, Moorland answered back with a goal from a set piece. With the game tied at 3–3, we headed to extra time, but with tiring legs, neither team could capitalise, and the game went to penalties. Dulwich’s penalty takers showed tremendous compo- sure, scoring all five of their penalties, which proved to be enough, as one miss from Moorland crowned Dulwich the U15 ISFA national champions. This was a tremendous achievement by the team, who played some exceptional football, and it was another historic first for the College, with a second national title in as many years. U14A team Elsewhere in the Middle School, the U14A team led from the front with an unbeaten season and a league title, playing some thrilling football along the way. The U14D team also deserve a mention for winning six of their seven games, along with the U14E and U14F teams, who both won 100% of their games, showing the strength in depth the year group has. It is always a year group that sees considerable development, with players regularly moving between teams, and it was pleasing to see so many pupils at the co-curricular sessions looking to improve each week. This will hold them in good stead as they continue their progress in the coming years. U15A team
and Buckswood. The 1st XI beat Ibstock Place in round 1 but then lost to a direct KCS Wimbledon side, having struggled to deal with the physicality of the KCS players. In addition, for the first time the 1st XI entered the ISFA Trophy, beating Trinity and City of London. Dulwich had three teams looking forward to playing in quarter-finals after the Christmas break. Dulwich’s penalty takers showed tremendous composure, scoring all five of their penalties, which proved to be enough, as one miss from Moorland crowned Dulwich the U15 ISFA National Champions Tour to Barcelona At the end of term the senior football teams travelled on their annual pre-season tour to Barcelona. The trip consisted of a visit to the Camp Nou, training sessions and matches against the excellent local opposition. It set the stall for the season ahead, building the foundations tactically and physically for the players and for what we hoped would be an exciting and productive season. Lent term On our return at the start of the Lent term, we received the gift of the new 3G pitch. All year groups trained on this, ahead of fixtures for the cup sides against Dulwich Village and the annual Old Alleynian football club fixtures, where we welcomed back four teams of former pupils to play our senior sides. U13A team The U13A team continued where they had left off before Christmas, beating St John’s 6–1 in the quarter-final to set up a mouth-watering away tie with Manchester Grammar School in a repeat of last year’s final. After travelling up north for the semi-final, both teams put on a thrilling display. MGS took the lead early on, with Dulwich starting a little slowly, heading into half-time 2–0 down. But an energetic and characterful second-half perfor- mance saw Dulwich claw back one, then two goals. With ten minutes to go it was all to play for. Dulwich, with the momentum on their side, scored a third, and defended with everything they had in the final minutes to book their
place in the final for the second time in as many years. In the final, played at Burton Albion FC, the U13s took on Aldenham. In a tight game, Dulwich started the brighter, and took a two-goal lead, but Aldenham fought back and scored just before half-time. In the second half, Alden- ham’s athleticism shone through, as Dulwich tired on the full-size pitch and Aldenham scored two more goals. The U13s continued to fight, but Aldenham held on as the final whistle blew. It was a wonderful achievement by the U13s to reach the national final for the second time, and one I hope the team will look back on with pride. Lower School Elsewhere in the Lower School, the high number of pupils attending co-curricular sessions showed the appetite the players had across all teams. There were excellent fixtures against St Paul’s, Brentwood, Hampton and Dulwich Prep, where the teams tried to put into action what they were learning in their games lessons. It was wonderful to see so much free-flowing football on show, with teams looking to pass the ball quickly around their opposition. A special mention should go to the U12F team for their wonderful season, winning six of their seven games, and to Jonny Millis from Year 13, who stepped in to manage the U12D team. However, the accolade of ‘Team of the Season’ in the Lower School must go to the U13A team, under Mr Ly- ons Donegan, who won 10 of their 12 games and reached the national final whilst playing some thrilling football. Middle and Upper Schools In the Middle and Upper Schools the uptake for football was again strong, with teams playing both friendly and league fixtures across the term. The U15A team contin- ued their cup run in January, facing Harrow away in the quarter-final. An impressive performance saw the team score at the right times to progress to the next round with a 5–2 victory. In the semi-final Dulwich hosted Eton, last year’s finalists. In a contrast of styles, Dulwich tried to pass the ball around Eton who played a more direct game, looking to hurt Dulwich on the counter. A strong defensive display saw Dulwich take their chances to win the game 4–1 and book their place in the final – a historic first for the College, who have never reached that stage of the competition before at U15 level. This final was also played at Burton Albion FC, and Dulwich faced Moor- land School from Lancashire. In a tight game, both teams tried to assert themselves, Moorland defending strongly
Football Tom Whitehead
Football at Dulwich continues to go from strength to strength, growing in both size and stature. This year 384 fixtures took place, more than ever before across any sport at the College. The 62 teams that represented the College from Year 3 to Year 13 did so with radiant smiles, and it has been wonderful to see the standard improve, with the sport stronger than ever. A huge thank you must go to the operational, grounds, catering and medical teams as well as the football staff and coaches without whom the whole programme would not be possible. I would also like to thank all parents and pupils for their support and involvement in the programme. Michaelmas term football In the Michaelmas term football began as usual in the Junior School, alongside the U13, U15 and 1st XI na- tional cup competitions. In the Junior School every pupil represented the College in a competitive fixture against schools such as Dulwich Prep, Hornsby House, Cum- nor House and Bickley Park. It was wonderful to see all teams making so much progress across the term, working hard in training and matches as they were introduced to the Dulwich playing principles. In addition, we were delighted to host the U10 local schools and U11 overload football tournaments. The U10 tournament is always a special afternoon, with the College welcoming pupils from 32 schools to play in front of the Barry Buildings. The ever-popular U11 overload tournament offered teams a tactical challenge aimed at developing the players’ under- standing of the game. In the ISFA regional tournament, the U11A team reached the semi-final, having performed well all morning. A record-breaking 109 fixtures took place in the Junior School, culminating with year group House football tournaments in which pupils demonstrated the enjoyment and passion they have for the game. ISFA national cup The U13, U15 and 1st XI all embarked on their ISFA national cup runs. The U13 team, defending their nation- al title from last season, successfully made it through to the quarter-finals with strong wins over City of London and Latymer Upper after a bye in round 1. The U15 team also made it through to the quarter-finals following good performances against University College School
In addition to the impressive performance from the U15A team, Year 10 saw all teams playing well and the compe- tition for places was fierce. The Bs, Cs and Ds had good wins away at Tonbridge and at home to Epsom, but a special mention should go to Mr Pelly’s U15E team who won all six of their games. The year group also scored the most goals – 157 of them – averaging over three per game across the six teams.
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